Kelty Junction 2.0 Child Carrier Hiking Backpack

We are somewhat of an active family so though out the last few years we’ve tried out a lot of products to make our lives easier as parents on-the-go with small children. From strollers and car seats to baby carriers – we’re trying them all. Up until now, we’ve only tried the traditional baby wraps and baby carriers. I tend to favor the baby carriers versus the wraps. Mike has also worn Baby Jack a few times, using one of our baby carriers. Mike does enjoy wearing Baby Jack so I decided to look for a carrier that might benefit him more than it would me. Mike is on-the-go way more than I am. He leaves the house on foot and bike any time he possibly can, and nine times out of ten, he has at least one of the kids with him. This is why the Kelty Junction 2.0 Child Carrier Hiking Backpack is perfect for him.

The folks at Kelty have been great to work with. Last year we received the Kelty Double Jogging Stroller and were very please with it’s quality and now they have sent me the Kelty Junction 2.0 Child Carrier Hiking Backpack to try out.

The Kelty Junction 2.0 Child Carrier Hiking Backpack seems to be 3 different pieces all rolled into one awesome child carrier. There is the backpack part that goes on the back of the parent – the child cockpit with 5-point harness area – and the backpack that is really a backpack and can hold and store stuff. Lots of stuff!

Here’s a run-down of the features of this awesome child carrier…

Kelty Junction 2.0Safety Features:

Five-point, adjustable child’s harness

The child cockpit area with 5-point harness is an adjustable area, all within itself. You can see it in the picture above and you can see it in the pictures below. This 5-point harnessed cockpit area has adjustable padded shoulder straps that keep the child very comfortable and secure. The leg straps are adjustable and so is the child seat height.

Kelty Junction 2.0Carrier Features:

Padded adjustable-height child’s seat

Toy loops

Carry/lift handles

Organizer pocket

Front storage pocket

Foot-stabilizer for safe loading

Hipbelt water bottle pocket

Kelty Junction 2.0Suspension Features:

Sliding waistbelt torso-length adjustment

Two-layer, padded and contoured waistbelt

Padded backpanel

Waistbelt storage pockets

Load-lifter straps

Sternum strap

My Thoughts:

Or maybe I should say Mike’s thoughts? No, what I am about to say actually comes from both of us. We are both very, very pleased with this carrier for many reasons.

Mike will use this much more than I will because he goes out walking to town every single day and usually brings the stroller for Baby Jack. The very first thing he said to me was, “wow, now I don’t need the stroller anymore!” He normally walks into town to go to the library and does this almost daily. Daily he’s returning and borrowing books and dvd’s so he is really excited to be able to put these items into the built-in backpack of this child carrier. There is 2 large zippered pockets, we carried 6 dvd’s, a couple diapers and wipes.

As for the child carrier itself – we both love this. The adjustable torso is the best. I am pretty short and he’s pretty tall, compared to me… so this is such an awesome feature to have. All of the other adjustable straps are easy to work, which is nice. You don’t have to struggle to loosen or tighten.

We also love all of the pockets! There are tons of pockets for both the parent and the child!

Another feature I really like is the foot stabilizer. In the photo above, you can see the silver bar at the bottom of the carrier – this is to lay your foot on when you are loading the child into the carrier. It keeps the carrier stable so it doesn’t tip.

And it’s not shown in any of these photos, but this child carrier comes with a sun hood and a changing pad.

As you can see, Baby Jack has a blast in the Kelty Double Junction 2.0 Child Carrier!

Wow, that looks awesome! We are moving into town soon, and we’ll be about 8 minutes’ walk away from the library…I can totally see how a carrier like this would come in handy for that kind of trip. I plan to do a lot of walking to do errands with the kids, and it would be super helpful to have that storage space in the backpack part when I don’t want the stroller with me.

Second, this looks great for hiking, but I can’t help but think it would be great for us on our farm! Well, sort of farm. But our property is big enough that it’s a real pain to have to run back to the house for things like drinks or diapers. This would be fabulous! I just had El in the back carry while I was carting weeds in the wheelbarrow yesterday, and I think this carrier looks like a better option. Thanks for sharing!

I absolutely love how this combines a carrier with a back pack. It would be perfect when we go hiking or out and about at summer festivals and things like that so we don’t have to bring a diaper bag as well. Definitely need to look into this!